International
Uruguay goes to the polls this Sunday to elect president and legislators
About 2.7 million citizens will go to the polls this Sunday to vote for the president and legislators of Uruguay for the period 2025-2030, as well as to pronounce on two plebiscites.
At 8:00 local time (11:00 GMT) voting centers throughout the country will open and voters will be able to vote until 19:30 local time (22:30 GMT), although this could be extended by an hour in case there are still people lining up at the polling stations.
In this instance, in which voting is secret and mandatory, as set by the National Constitution, eleven political parties will seek the Presidency.
The candidates for the Presidency of Uruguay
These are the Broad Front (Yamandú Orsi), the National Party (Álvaro Delgado), the Colorado Party (Andrés Ojeda), the Open Council (Guido Manini Ríos), the Independent Party (Pablo Mieres) and the Radical Intransigent Environmental Party (César Vega).
Also, Sovereign Identity (Gustavo Salle), Popular Assembly (Walter Martínez), the Environmental Constitutional Party (Eduardo Lust), the Party for the Necessary Changes (Guillermo Franchi) and Republican Advance (Martín Pérez Banchero).
To become the successor of the current president, Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou, any of the candidates must get more than 50% of the valid votes. Otherwise, the two most voted will advance to a second round, which will take place on Sunday, November 24.
The formation of the Parliament will be defined
Beyond this, this Sunday’s instance will define the formation of Parliament for the period 2025-2030.
Each party will present in the elections its different lists made up of its candidates to integrate the Chamber of Senators (30 members) plus the Vice President of the Republic) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 members).
On the other hand, voters will vote on two plebiscites: one on social security and another on night raids.
Promoted by the PIT-CNT trade union center and supported by social groups, the first of these seeks to change the social security regime of Uruguay, which was changed by law in 2023.
The plebiscites
The amendment proposes – among other things – the equivalence of retirements and pensions to the national minimum wage, in addition to the possibility that both men and women can access retirement at 60 years of age instead of 65.
In turn, it seeks to eliminate the administrators of social security savings funds so that the Social Security system is managed exclusively by the State.
The second seeks to allow raids at night, which are currently prohibited by article 11 of the National Constitution. He emphasizes that the home is a sacred inviolable and that at night no one will be able to enter it without the consent of their boss.
With the campaign closures carried out days ago, Uruguay of about 3.4 million inhabitants is currently in electoral ban.
Prohibitions
Since Friday, October 25, the parties cannot carry out acts of proselytist propaganda, as indicated by Law 16,019, which was promulgated in 1989.
On the other hand, from this Saturday the sale of alcohol is prohibited, which cannot be carried out until the voting circuits are closed.
This Sunday, around 21:30 local time (00:30 GMT), the consultants are expected to announce their first projections of the results, while the Electoral Court will begin to upload them on its official website as they are sent from the polling stations.
After being known, the candidates will participate in events in the places where they will wait for them, while in the capital of the country there are already areas of celebrations.
International
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
The United States announced on Wednesday that it will suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 nationalities, marking another move by President Donald Trump’s administration to curb the entry of migrants into the country.
“ The United States is freezing the processing of all visas for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia and Iran,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. According to Fox News, the measure will take effect on January 21 and will remain in force indefinitely.
Based on an internal State Department memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital, consular officers have been instructed to deny visa applications under existing law while the agency conducts an in-depth review of screening and vetting procedures. The stated goal is to tighten criteria to prevent the entry of foreigners who could eventually rely on public assistance.
The list of affected countries includes several nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Somalia and Yemen, among others. Fox News reported that exemptions to the suspension will be “very limited” and will only be granted once applicants pass an assessment related to the public charge requirement.
Other countries in the Americas subject to the suspension include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The decision is based on a strict interpretation of the so-called “public charge” clause of U.S. immigration law. A cable sent to U.S. consulates worldwide in November 2025 had already signaled the shift, instructing officials to apply tougher standards when evaluating applicants, taking into account factors such as age, health status, English proficiency, financial situation, history of public assistance, and even the potential need for long-term medical care.
International
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
A court of Peru’s National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice ordered the definitive dismissal of the criminal proceedings for alleged money laundering and criminal organization against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, authorities reported on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The ruling was issued by the Tenth National Preparatory Investigation Court in compliance with a previous decision by the Constitutional Court (TC). The decision was confirmed by Fujimori’s attorney, Giuliana Loza, who said on social media platform X that “there was no money laundering nor criminal organization.”
According to the defense, the case was closed for lacking legal grounds and for violating due process. “The proceedings concluded because they lacked a legal basis and constituted clear prosecutorial persecution,” Loza stated.
Judge Wilson Verastegui, whose ruling was reported by local media, said the Constitutional Court determined that the facts alleged in the so-called ‘Cocktails Case’ do not constitute a criminal offense under the principle of legality. The court noted that the crime of illegal financing of political organizations was not in force at the time the alleged acts occurred.
The dismissal also applies to other leaders of the Fuerza Popular party, including Pier Figari, Ana Rosa Herz, Jaime Yoshiyama and José Chlimper, as well as the party itself.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), had been under investigation for the alleged irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, a case that exposed her to a possible 30-year prison sentence. However, one year ago the National Superior Court annulled the trial and returned the case to the intermediate stage.
Fujimori is currently pursuing her fourth presidential bid, ahead of Peru’s general elections scheduled for April.
International
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, is in the United States this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, Colombian officials said, in a visit that comes as ties between Bogotá and Washington begin to ease after a period of diplomatic tension.
The trip is seen as a prelude to a scheduled visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in early February. Sánchez will remain in Washington through Wednesday, according to Colombian government sources.
During his stay, Sánchez is slated to meet with senior U.S. officials, including representatives from the Department of Defense, members of the U.S. Senate, and White House advisors, to outline a joint strategy to “defeat drug trafficking” and expand cooperation on intelligence against transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Colombian Defense Ministry, the agenda will include strengthening collaboration on technology, intelligence sharing, and efforts to disrupt criminal networks that operate across borders. Officials said the discussions will also help set the stage for Petro’s upcoming talks with Trump.
The visit follows a period of strained U.S.–Colombia relations last year, when Washington revoked Petro’s visa and withdrew Colombia’s certification as a key partner in anti-drug efforts — moves that coincided with disagreements over counter-narcotics strategy and broader diplomatic frictions. However, a recent phone call between Petro and Trump, described as cordial by officials, helped lower tensions and reopened channels for dialogue ahead of the presidential meeting.
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